Time: from 6:45 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, strong wind, 11°C to 13°C
After the appalling experience of my visit to Gloucester Park on 21st May 2020 and a spat with an argumentative idiot on Facebook who seemed to want to excuse what is occurring at the park (I now definitely know why I have never fully engaged with the social media craze), it was good to return to the peace and quiet of St. Nicholas Church, its graveyard and the surrounding areas early this morning.
Although very sunny, there was a strong wind and this definitely had an impact on what I saw and heard and I ended up with a shorter species list than normal.
I think the Red Fox den has been abandoned since for the second visit running I failed to see the vixen or any of the cubs.
I have just finished reading “RSPB Spotlight: Foxes” written by Mike Unwin and published by Bloomsbury.
This is an excellent short guide to the ecology of the Red Fox and I
have learnt that the natal den is often abandoned a few weeks after the cubs
emerge. The vixen and cubs then lay up out in the open if the weather is good
or a new den may be dug. The cubs will remain with the vixen until the autumn
when they become independent.
Therefore there is possibly a chance that I may see the cubs again but not at a guaranteed location. I suppose I should be grateful that I did see them on 4 separate visits and that they provided exceptional opportunities for photos:
9th May 2020
12th May 2020
15th May 2020
17th May 2020
I did see Red Fox on several occasions on my visit today during a 15 minute watch of the green area adjacent to Church Hill. This was mostly a single adult Red Fox but I did see 2 on one occasion.
I also saw a one-antlered Reeves' Muntjac at the edge of the church car park before it walked off in to the graveyard.
I took photos of both the Red Fox and the Reeves Muntjac' although lighting levels and sharpness are a little disappointing.
I again saw 2 Swifts around St. Nicholas Church on this visit but I only heard 2 singing Blackcaps and 1 singing Chiffchaff.
The only other notable record was a singing and calling male Greenfinch which was pleasing given the substantial decrease in the population of this species for the reason that I outlined in this blog post.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Swift
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Song Thrush
Greenfinch
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Herring Gull
Red Fox
Reeves' Muntjac
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Reeves' Muntjac
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Red Fox
Therefore there is possibly a chance that I may see the cubs again but not at a guaranteed location. I suppose I should be grateful that I did see them on 4 separate visits and that they provided exceptional opportunities for photos:
9th May 2020
12th May 2020
15th May 2020
17th May 2020
I did see Red Fox on several occasions on my visit today during a 15 minute watch of the green area adjacent to Church Hill. This was mostly a single adult Red Fox but I did see 2 on one occasion.
I also saw a one-antlered Reeves' Muntjac at the edge of the church car park before it walked off in to the graveyard.
I took photos of both the Red Fox and the Reeves Muntjac' although lighting levels and sharpness are a little disappointing.
I again saw 2 Swifts around St. Nicholas Church on this visit but I only heard 2 singing Blackcaps and 1 singing Chiffchaff.
The only other notable record was a singing and calling male Greenfinch which was pleasing given the substantial decrease in the population of this species for the reason that I outlined in this blog post.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Swift
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Song Thrush
Greenfinch
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Herring Gull
Red Fox
Reeves' Muntjac
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Reeves' Muntjac
Photo: Red Fox
Photo: Woodpigeon
Site totals to date:
Site totals to date:
Birds = 46
Mammals = 4
Butterflies = 16
Dragonflies and damselflies = 3
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0
💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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